Buzz Briefs: Amy Winehouse, Britney Spears

Winehouse Drops Out of Coachella

A spokesman for Amy Winehouse says the singer won't perform in the United States next month, as had been planned.

Spokesman Chris Goodman said Monday that Winehouse isn't going to the Coachella festival in Indio, Calif., in "light of current legal issues."

Winehouse was charged with assault last week for allegedly attacking a fan at a London party in September. The singer is due in court next week.

Being charged with a crime often makes it difficult for people to get U.S. visas. Last year, the U.S. government declined to give her a visa to attend the Grammy awards. The decision was reversed but too late for her to go.

Winehouse's battles with addiction and frequent run-ins with the law have been highly publicized.

Spears Makes Suprise Visit To Miami Hospital

Just hours before taking the stage, pop singer Britney Spears paid a surprise visit to a group of sick children at Miami Children's Hospital.

The 27-year-old Spears posed for photos with the children on Saturday.

She's also donating $100,000 to the Big Apple Circus Clown Care program, which brings clowns to young hospital patients.

Spears played at the American Airlines Arena in Miami as part of her "Circus" tour. The tour to support her hit album of the same name kicked off last week before a nearly sold-out crowd in New Orleans.

Spears' last toured in 2004.

Metallica Lead Singer Hospitalized

Organizers say 16,000 fans of the heavy metal group Metallica had to leave the Stockholm Globe Arena without seeing their heroes perform after lead singer James Hetfield was taken to the hospital.

Spokeswoman Carolina Satterwall says Hetfield caught a stomach bug Sunday and suffered dehydration but left the hospital that evening. He has returned to the United States with the rest of the band.

The fans found out about the cancellation minutes before the concert was due to start, when the other members came onstage to deliver the news.

Drummer Lars Ulrich said the band members were "truly, truly, truly sorry."

"Trust me, none of you guys wanna hear me, Rob or Kirk sing," he added, referring to bassist Robert Trujillo and lead guitarist Kirk Hammett.

Hank Locklin Dies

Country singer and Grand Ole Opry member Hank Locklin has died. He was 91.

Opry publicist Jessie Schmidt said Locklin died Sunday at his home in Brewton, Ala.

Locklin's smooth tenor voice made hits of "Send Me the Pillow You Dream On" and "Please Help Me I'm Falling." He recently released his 65th album, "By the Grace of God."

He was a longtime Opry member, joining the country music broadcast in 1960.

Schmidt said Locklin's family is planning a private service and burial.

Martha Stewart's Dog Dies In Kennel Blast

Martha Stewart's puppy has died in a propane explosion at a northeastern Pennsylvania kennel.

Stewart says on her blog she's "deeply saddened" by the death of her chow, Ghengis Khan, in Friday's blast at Pazzazz Pet Boarding kennel in the Pocono Mountains.

Fifteen dogs were killed in the explosion. Two more died over the weekend.

The kennel was getting a propane delivery when the tank ignited, setting the pens on fire.

The driver was critically burned. A hospital spokeswoman says Timothy Kleinhagen of Summit Hill has been upgraded to stable condition.

Officials say a spark or static electricity may have started the blaze.

Stewart says she hopes for a speedy recovery for the surviving dogs and the driver. She also says her "heart goes out" to the kennel owner.

Ken Burns Losing GM Backing

General Motors Corp. is ending its 22-year support for Emmy Award-winning documentary filmmaker Ken Burns.

GM spokeswoman Kelly Cusinato calls Burns "the gold standard of documentary filmmaking," but says the financial crisis "has forced GM to rein in such spending." A figure for GM's aid to Burns isn't known.

Burns has made a string of high-profile public TV documentaries, including "The Civil War," "Jazz" and "Baseball."

His last GM-backed project is "The National Parks: America's Best Idea," a six-part series airing this fall.

Burns' spokesman Dave Donovan tells The Detroit News that Burns is "incredibly grateful" for GM's support, calling it "an extraordinary contribution to public television."